The Thing About Faith
by TMNT-Queen
Summary: I was raised in a good Christian family, where we prayed before dinner every night and went to church on Sundays. My mother used to have a saying, something she'd tell me each night when she tucked me into bed. "Always have faith," she'd whisper, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "The moment you stop believing is the moment you lose yourself." I lost myself years ago.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

My mother used to have a saying, something she'd tell me every night when she tucked me into bed. "Always have faith," she'd whisper, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "The moment you stop believing is the moment you lose yourself."

I lost myself years ago.

Now I'm indistinguishable from the hundreds of other homeless people on the street, my hair long and knotted, my clothes worn and threadbare. I've been on my own for a long time, and I've learned how to take what I need - much to the anger of the shop owners and managers. Thus far, I've been able to avoid being caught by police and anyone seeking to make a few bucks off of a tip.

But no one can run forever. And I have a feeling that my luck is about to run out.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Hey! Get back here! Thief!"

"Someone stop that girl!"

My breathing is labored and my blood pounds in my ears, but I keep a firm grasp on the bundle in my arms. For the most part, I don't draw much attention. The other people on the streets either curse at me or ignore me altogether as I force my way through the crowd.

I duck into an alleyway to catch my breath, bending over and putting a hand on my knee. Footsteps sound not too far behind me and I glance around, trying desperately to find a place to hide. My eyes land on the manhole cover not three feet away.

With seconds to spare, I climb into the sewers and pull the cover shut. Just in time.

 _"I could've sworn she went this way."_

 _"She's gotta be here somewhere."_

 _"That's the third time in two weeks that she's stolen from my store, the little brat. When I find her..."_

As soon as their conversation fades away with their footsteps, I relax my white-knuckled grip on the rungs of the access ladder. Sighing a little, I sink onto the tunnel floor and open up my ill-gotten goods. A small loaf of bread, a packet of sunflower seeds, a few water bottles, and - just for the heck of it - a box of Twinkies.

 _I never could resist Twinkies._

And yeah, I know that they're not good for me, but in this crazy, messed up world, the sweet snacks are the one luxury I allow myself to have. Glancing around the most abandoned sewer tunnel, I decide that this is as good a place as any to eat. Tearing a little bit of the bread off, I wrap the rest in a plastic bag to save for later. I don't know when I'll find another meal. I add a quarter bottle of water and a Twinkie to make a meager lunch.

I haven't eaten much before I hear voices in the next tunnel over. My heart skips a beat until I realize that these new voices sound nothing like the ones of the men who were after me. Curiosity gets the best of me and I stand, quietly making my way to see who it is.

Not quietly enough.

Out of nowhere, a large hand pins me to the tunnel wall, the force of the blow making my ears ring. "Who are you?" a deep voice hisses. In the dimness of the tunnel, I can just barely make out a pair of narrowed electric green eyes.

My knees buckle as my body, already aching from a beating I'd taken earlier this week, gives out from the stress. My eyes roll up into my head and I collapse in the stranger's arms. The remainder of my hard-earned lunch falls into the filthy water below us.

As the darkness creeps over my vision, I see another silhouette emerge from the shadows, their voice echoing in my brain like a clanging symbol.

And then I know nothing but oblivion.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The first thing I realize when I wake is that I'm warm - truly, blissfully warm - for the first time in a long time.

The second thing is that there are four pairs of eyes staring at me. My heartbeat quickens and I let out a little gasp. _Mutants._

I've heard of mutants before. They're something like mythical legends in the underbelly of New York - few have seen them, but everyone has heard the stories. Mutants are supposed to be like demons or something; it's said that they'll come and steal you away in the night, leaving no trace. They're always described as horrific, ugly-looking creatures.

But as I stare back at the four mutants across from me, I start to think that maybe the legends are wrong. Because these turtles aren't ugly or terrifying. They're amazing.

Large brown carapaces paired with golden plastrons make up the shells that protect their internal organs - even from this distance, I can make out the numerous scars that line the chest plates. Their hands, while large and three-fingered, are shaped like human hands, and they have arms and legs just like I do. Each of the four turtles wears a mask, the colors all different: red, blue, orange, and purple. And their eyes. They aren't the blank eyes of animals, or have the cruel shine of some power-mad demon. Their gazes shine with curiosity and the light of intelligence.

In fact, now that I get a good look at them, they bear so much resemblance to a human that it's uncanny. If it weren't for the green skin and hard shell...

"Why don't you take a picture?" the red-banded one snaps. "It'll last longer."

"Raph!" Blue admonishes in a deep voice, shooting Red a disapproving look.

"What? I'm only saying that-"

"Ignore my brothers," Purple cuts in, his voice smooth and quiet. He offers me a gentle smile. "I'm Donnie. And you are?"

"Um..." I stare at his outstretched hand for a moment as my brain tries to catch up with the current events. "Faith."

I know what you're thinking. My name is Faith? Yes, it is. The universe played a cruel trick on me. when I was born. _Oh, I know! Let's name her Faith and see how she lives up to it._

Suddenly I realize that Donnie is staring at me. "Sorry?"

"I asked if you had a last name," the purple-banded turtle repeats, his eyes sparkling a little.

"Not that I know of," I mutter, pulling away.

He opens his mouth, frowning, but the orange-clad turtle butts in. "I'm Mikey!" he says cheerfully, bouncing up and down on his toes. "It's nice to meet a girl! I mean, we know April but she doesn't count because she has to like us because we saved her and - mmph!"

Blue slaps a hand over Mikey's mouth, sighing. "Sorry about that," he says in that deep voice. "He can get a little enthusiastic. I'm Leonardo, but you can call me Leo."

I direct my attention to the red-banded one. "And you're Raph, I take it."

He just grunts, and that's when I see his eyes, shining behind his red mask. Electric green.

I inhale sharply. "It was you."

"What?" Raph asks, tilting his head.

"It was you," I repeat, my eyes narrowing. "In the tunnel. You were the one who grabbed me."

He stares at me for a second, then scowls. "So what?"

Anger starts to simmer in my veins. "What do you mean, _so what?_ Because of you, my food is gone!"

"Big deal," he scoffs. "Just go to the store and buy another box of Twinkies."

"I can't just go to the store!"

"Why not? Everyone else does!"

"Everyone except me!"

"What, you're too good to shop with the common people?"

At that, all the fire leaves my system. "No...I don't have any money," I whisper, suddenly ashamed for the first time in years. My face heats up and I'm having trouble meeting the turtles' eyes. "I should go. Thank you for your hospitality." I stand, ignoring the aching of my body as I make my way to the door. It occurs to me that I have no idea where I am or where to go from here.

But it turns out that I don't have to worry about it, because Mikey chases after me. "Faith! Wait a minute!" Sighing a little, I pull back so he can catch up. "Where are you gonna go?" he asks, his baby-blue gaze filled with worry.

I shrug, wrapping my arms around myself. "I don't know. I'll find a place."

"What about here?"

At the suggestion, I gape at him. "What?"

"Stay with us," Mikey clarifies, grabbing my hand. "You'll be warm, and you'll have food, and-"

"Mikey, what are you doing?" Leo hisses, as if I can't hear him. "You don't even have Sensei's permission. You can't just-"

"She needs help, Leo. Our help. There's got to be a reason that we found her in the tunnel. I'm not just gonna turn her out on her ear...and I don't think Splinter would either."

His words strike a chord deep within me. _There's a reason for everything, Faith,_ my mother's voice says in my mind. My eyes start to sting and I wipe at them, scowling a little.

 _I'm not gonna break down now. Not here._

"What do you say?" Mikey asks, his gaze hopeful. One look at those puppy-dog eyes has the word "yes" past my lips and into the air before I can even think about it. "Great!"

And as he beams and drags me to the kitchen to 'stuff me full,' as he puts it, I try and justify my decision. _It's not like I had anywhere else to stay. It would've been another cold night on the streets. And at least here I'll have food._

But deep down, I have a feeling that none of those are the reason why I chose to stay with the turtles. Maybe I just wanted to feel like someone cared, for once. Is that so wrong?


End file.
